Railroad-rail anchor



July 23, 1929. w. D. ACHUFF RAILROAD RAIL ANCHOR Filed March 18, 1929 Avvewroz v MaAmu/ fis Jqgcz V Afro/P Patented July 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES WALTER D. ACHUFF, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RAILROAD-RAIL ANCHOR.

Application filed March 18, 19.29.

This invention relates generally to railroad rail anchors or anti-creepers, and more specifically to a onepiece device of this type, the predominant object of the invention being to provide an extremely simple railroad rail anchor which is so constructed that it may be applied to a railroad rail with the mini mum effort, and when so applied will perform its function with greater efiiciency.

It is very well known that railroad rails creep, or move, longitudinally of their maj or axes when in use, and much effort has been expended heretofore in providing anchoring devices intended to prevent such movement. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device of the type referred to, which, while capable of extremely efficient operation, is at once of very simple construction and easy to apply to a rail, whereby a superior article from the standpoint of efiiciency, simplicity and cost is made available.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a railroad tie and railroad rail showing one of my improved rail anchoring devices associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the elements illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the railroad tie in cross-section and the anchoring device in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the anchoring device associated with a railroad rail. showing the arrangement of the rail receiving grooves in the anchoring device.

In the drawing, wherein is shown for the purpose of illustration one embodiment merely of the invention, A designates a railroad rail which is supported on a railroad tie B of usual construction. The railroad rail A is secured to the railroad tie B by the usual spikes C, the head portions of which embrace base portions of the rail.

1 designates my improved rail anchor, which when viewed in front or rear elevation, is approximately U-shaped; that is to say, said anchor comprises a pair of spaced apart upright legs 2 and 2, and an arcuate lower portion 3 by which said upright legs are joined together. Also, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2, the anchor 1 is shaped to conform to a portion of a helix.

Adjacent to the upper edge of each of the spaced apart legs 2 and 2 is a groove at which is open at its opposite ends, and by referring Serial No. 347,757.

particularly to Figs. 2 and 1 it will be noted that the grooves 4. formed in the legs 2 and 2- are inclined with respect to the top edges of the respective legs, it being apparent also from an inspection of these views that the groove 4 of the leg 2 is inclined in a direction different from that in which the groove & of the leg 2 is inclined. In other words, the groove 4 of the leg 2 inclines downwardly from the end D of the device, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, while the groove 1 of the leg 2 inclines upwardly from said end D of the device. Because of the inclination of the grooves with respectto the legs 2 and 2 and the helical shape of the anchor, said grooves are alined approximately horizontally and parallel with the rail base when the anchor is in its operative position on said rail base, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The top and bottom walls of the groove 41 thereof provide the leg 2 of the device with gripping edges 6 and 7, and the top and bottom walls of the groove l associated therewith provide the leg 2 with like gripping edges 8 and 9.

The member which comprises my improved anchor is preferably formed from alloy steel, which possesses great strength and considerable resiliency or springs, and as already stated and shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, is shaped to conform to a portion of a helix; that is to say, while the member 1 is a continuous element from the top edge of the leg 2 to the top edge of the leg 2, said legs are offset from each other in a direction parallel with the direction in which the railroad rail A extends in Figs. 1, 2 and 4.

To apply one of my improved anchors to a railroad rail one of the spaced apart legs, the leg 2 for instance, is arranged in close contact with one of the ties by which the rail to which the anchor is to be attached is supported. lVhen this leg is positioned as de- 'ibed with respect to the adjacent tie, it is also so arranged that the edge portion of the base of the rail at one side of said rail is extended into the groove 4 of said leg and extends longitudinally thereof. lVit-h one of the legs so located, the anchor will be positioned as suggested by dotted lines in Fig. 3, that is, with the top of the opposite leg disposed immediately below the base of the rail at the side of the rail opposite to the side thereof at which the first mentioned leg engages said base of the rail. With the anchor so positioned, a suitable lever or bar is placed beneath the arcuate portion 3 of the anchor,

and said lever or bar is raised, with the result that the last mentioned leg is moved upwardly in response to the movement of the lever or bar. The upward movement of the leg which is disengaged from the rail will have the effect of spreading the upper end portions of the legs, and when the elevation of said disengaged leg has continued sufficiently, the edge portion of the base of the rail will be alined with the groove 4 in said leg, at which time the resiliency of the material of which the anchor is formed and the helical shape of said anchor will cause the last mentioned leg to snap in the direction of the associated leg into a position where the edge portion of the base of the rail is extended into the groove; the edge portions of each side of the base of the rail being in the grooves the gripping edges (3 and 7 and 8 and 9 will firmly grip the base of the rail and the inner walls of the grooves will closely contact with the side edges of the base of the rail. lVith the anchor firmly secured to the base of the rail as described, and with the anchor in contact with the tie, the rail will be prevented from creeping in a direction which would carry the anchor toward the tie, and as the direction of creep of the rail is known before the anchor is applied to the rail and said anchor is placed on the proper side of the tie, creeping of the rail will be prevented.

It will be noted that if, after the anchor is applied to the rail, there is any tendency for the rail to creep towards the tie adjacent to the anchor, such creeping movement of the rail will cause the leg of the anchor farthest from the tie to be pushed forward to a position toward the tie and the arcuate lower portion of the anchor to be pushed in a direction from the tie, thus bringing the two legs more nearly parallel with one another, alining the grooves therein angularly with the base of the rail, thus increasing the binding action of the gripping edges within the grooves and preventing the rail, from creeping. This same action also prevents the anchor being jarred loose from the rail.

I claim:

1. A rail anchor comprising a one-piece element having upstanding portions arranged to engage the base port-ion of a railroad rail at opposite sides thereof, said portions being oppositely offset from each other in a direction transversely of the anchor and said portions of said element being provided with grooves which receive portions of the base portion of the rail, said grooves being provided with gripping edges arranged to tightly grip the base portion of the rail, whereby the anchor may be securely attached to the rail.

2. A rail anchor comprising a substantially U-shaped element having upstanding portions arranged to engage the base portion of a railroad rail at opposite sides thereof, said portions being oppositely offset in adirection transversely of the anchor and said portions of said element being provided with grooves which receive portions of the base portion of the rail, said grooves being provided with gripping edges arranged to tightly grip the base port-ion of the rail, whereby the anchor may be securely attached to the rail.

3. A rail anchor comprising a substantially U-shaped element shaped throughout to conform to a portion of a helix, said element having portions arranged to engage the base port-ion of a railroad rail at opposite sides thereof, said portions of said element being provided with gripping edges arranged to tightly grip the base portion of the rail, whereby the anchor may be securely attached to the rail.

4. A rail anchor comprising a substantially lJ-shaped element shaped to conform to a portion of a helix, said element having portions arranged to engage the base portion of a railroad rail at opposite sides thereof, said portions of said element being provided with grooves into which portions of the base of the rail are extended, and gripping edges within said grooves arranged to tightly grip said portions of the base of the rail, whereby the anchor may be securely attached to said rail.

5. A rail anchor comprising a substantially U-shaped element shaped to conform to a portion of a helix said element having portions arranged to engage the base portion of a railroad rail at opposite sides thereof, said portions of said element being provided wit-h angularly disposed grooves into which portions of the base of the rail are extended, and gripping edges within said grooves arranged to tightly grip said portions of the base of the rail, whereby the anchor may be securely attached to said rail.

6. In combination with a railroad rail supported on a railroad tie, a rail anchor comprising a substantially U-shaped element shaped to conform to a portion of a helix, said element having portions arranged to engage the base portion of said railroad rail at opposite sides thereof, said portions of said element being provided with angularly disposed grooves into which portions of the base of the rail are extended, and gripping edges within said grooves arranged to tightly grip said portions of the base of the rail, whereby the anchor may be securely attached to said rail, said anchor being arranged in contact with said railroad tie, whereby cree ing of the railroad rail to which the anchor is attached is prevented.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto affix my signature.

WVALTER D. ACHUFF. 

